The President of Ukraine has likened the violence by pro-Russian separatists against its citizens to "terrorism," and called for the whole world to help put an end to the escalating violence in the region.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Petro Poroshenko said that the violence on the borders of Russia and Ukraine was intensifying, despite a ceasefire deal being signed at the end of last year.

"This is the same level of terrorism attack like Charlie Hebdo, or the (shooting down of the) MH17 plane," he said on Wednesday, highlighting an incident last week in which Ukraine authorities claim 11 people on board a passenger bus were killed after it came under heavy fire by separatists.

"We should stop this terrorism. We should demonstrate (global) coordination and solidarity," Poroshenko added.

Earlier in the day, the Ukrainian military claimed Russia had boosted its troops in the disputed area of eastern Ukraine and that attacks by separatists had intensified, Reuters reported.

"What is the purpose of this escalation? We should ask the Russians about that," Poroshenko said.

To date, more than 4,000 people have been killed in the conflict, which began at the start of 2014 when the Russia-backed Ukrainian government of then President Viktor Yanukovych was overthrown. Since then, the country has been rocked by disputes over the governance of regions including Crimea and parts of eastern Ukraine, and the country has moved away from its historic alliance with Russia into closer ties with Europe.

However, earlier on Wednesday, Arkady Dvorkovich, Russia's deputy Prime Minister, said the conflict over Ukraine's borders with Russia could be Read Moreclose to a "turning point."

"Russia is interested in stabilizing the situation globally and in Ukraine in particular," Dvorkovich told CNBC at Davos, where he is one of Russia's most senior representatives.

Poroshenko added that the Minsk agreement – signed by Kiev and pro-Russian separatists in September – provided a "solid platform" for peace, but that, to date, Russia had met "none of these conditions."

- By CNBC's Katrina Bishop. Catherine Boyle also contributed to this report.